Posted on 10/20/2013 9:06:14 AM PDT by Innovative
As gun sales break records—partly because of fear of coming gun control from the Obama administration—supplies of ammo ran so low that gun stores and ranges have to ration ammunition. Meanwhile, rumors of mass purchases of ammunition made by government entities began to fly around the Internet. Making all this even worse is that fact that it hasn’t been a short-term supply problem. Now well over a year since the shortages of popular types of ammo began there are still empty shelves and rationing here and there around the United States.
(Excerpt) Read more at forbes.com ...
Maybe the power nailers. Don’t know but it is strange isn’t it?
“.22LR HAS LOWEST PROFIT MARGIN”
Not only does it have the lowest profit margin, the manufacturing machinery is complex and expensive. Which makes it difficult for any ammunition maker to expand output.
And for many reasons - regulatory, liability, occupational safety, environmental, raw materials, competitive - makers must undertake much larger risks in modern times, to enter the business or to expand.
Flexibility (”agility”) is more valued, and a firm incurs more penalties nowadays, if it keeps “excess” inventory on hand. Makes it that much more difficult to secure raw materials, or to build new plants. Unsurprisingly, businesses fear they will get stuck with excess (”slack”) production capacity when demand tapers off.
Barriers to entrepreneurs intent on entering the business have been piled progressively higher: regulatory approval is more vital than ever, and in multiplying areas. Difficult enough even before a plainly unsympathetic Administration took over the regulatory apparatus. Since then it’s only gotten worse.
The propensity to sue frightens the makers of guns and ammunition - they cannot count on goodwill from customers. Even rock-ribbed, socially responsible, ruggedly individualistic American gun lovers are much more in a hurry to file suit against a beloved supplier, if one of their loved ones chances to get shot - even when it’s their own fault.
So manufacturers are reluctant to make any move to meet demand, even if they face short-term ire from customers.
My advice to those who have the money to do so.
Buy a reloader, dies, shellplates, furnace and molds. Even if you do not plan on using them, buy them and put them away. I reload and have everything I need. I also have a furnace and molds should I need them.
Buy guns, ammo, more guns, and more ammo. But also put the above mentioned items on your list.
Forgot to add.....reloading is a top skill to have if the SHTF.
By using the term “gun nuts” you have just outed yourself. I am sure there are plenty of left-wing anti-gun forums that would be more to your liking.
“... can the machines used to manufacture .22 rimfire be used to manufacture anything else?”
No.
The machines that draw and form brass into cartridge cases are entirely different, when comparing rimfire to centerfire cartridges.
The machines that make bullets from bulk lead and brass sheet (”gilding metal” - commonest US bullet jacket material - looks like copper but is a specialized brass alloy) are completely different too.
The chemical manufacture of propellant powders, and the chemical (and physical) manufacture of primers, are very specialized processes that do not translate well to production of much else.
And interchange among machines producing various calibers is much more tightly limited than most shooters might guess. There is such a large variety of bullet diameters, and case configurations, that “swapping dies around” cannot do much. There are only four sizes of US primers (excluding shotshells), but substitution in manufacture is nil.
And all manufacture depends on very acute quality control; tools and dies wear out at a high rate and must be checked a very short intervals to assure products are emerging from the end of the line inside acceptable tolerances.
It’s not like reloading.
Ammunition manufacture is so specialized and capital-heavy that throughout World World War II, British ammunition supply depended on a small handful of plants - no dispersal of production could take place, unlike arms production in other areas, notably the STEn submachine gun. The UK government worried constantly that air raids might take out one or more facilities, but they survived.
A noble effort but you’re spitting in the wind. lol
I suspected that was generally the case.
You left out one more reason: .22 rimfire is “rimfire”, not “center fire” - a fifth primer configuration.
Forbes uses annecdotes within what the US manufacturers see the demand as coming from consumer. But why would that be?
You would think a globalist economy magazine would mention something about Obama orchestrating a foreign embargo on US for ammo sales, much like OPEC.
The UN arms treaty is capital in this. So it is ok to buy all these toys from china but not their norinco ammo and AKs?
This article is full of it.
Americans are strangled on ammo because the government is buying domestically while restraining us our outlets fro abroad.
Why is Forbes not analyzing this more globaly.
Met a guy who landed at Walmart at the right time and he got 1k rnds. for $399.00. In minutes, gone.
I think Forbes is leaving it as an “exercise for the reader — they have faith that their readership will figure it out, without them having to spoonfeed them the obvious.
Guess why I was at Gander Mountain at 8:00 am.
Relax Francis.
Another reason to ensure you’ve got enough blade weapons and some gear that can handle some damage.
The demand may very well be coming from the consumer.
Plants cannot simply increase supply overnight. Consumers are stocking up on everything they can, and yet 10 months after demand went through the roof, for the first time I am seeing alot of 9mm, 45 ACP, and 223 factory ammo. Also alot of primers and even powder, though powder is still in short supply. Yet no .22LR. Why?
My theory is that .22LR is the only one in demand by every person who owns a gun. I stopped stocking up on factory ammo awhile back as I reload. But I cannot reload .22LR. So even reloaders must stand in line to buy this factory ammo. Factor in the tens of millions of new gun buyers and one can easily see where consumer demand eats up all of the available supply.
FWIW, there is a show on the Outdoor Channel called The Gun Nuts.....and they are very Pro Gun.
The Regime tried to get ATK to quit selling penetrators to the public. In response ATK raised prices by 15%.
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